We here examine the putative first step in the origin of life: the coalescence of dispersed molecules into a more condensed, organized state. Fresh evidence implies that the driving energy for this coalescence may come in a manner more direct than previously thought. The sun's radiant energy separates charge in water, and this free charge demonstrably induces condensation. This condensation mec...

From the exact single step evolution equation of the two-point correlation function of a particle distribution subjected to a stochastic displacement field u(x), we derive different dynamical regimes when u(x) is iterated to build a velocity field. First we show that spatially uncorrelated fields u(x) lead to both standard and anomalous diffusion equation. When the field u(x) is spatially corre...

Developments in synthetic biology enabled the microbial production of long chain hydrocarbons, which can be used as advanced biofuels in aviation or transportation. Currently, these fuels are not economically competitive due to their production costs. The current process offers room for improvement: by utilizing lignocellulosic feedstock, increasing microbial yields, and using cheaper process t...

The proposed model views drop coalescence in a turbulent flow field as a two-step process consisting of formation of a doublet due to drop collisions followed by coalescence of the individual droplets in a doublet due to the drainage of the intervening film of continuous phase under the action of colloidal (van der Waals and electrostatic) and random turbulent forces. The turbulent flow field w...

High-shear and fluid-bed processes were used for granulation of dolomite powder into agrochemical product. In this paper, comparative study of the granulation process focuses on the observation of granule size distribution (GSD). Considerable difference between high-shear and fluid-bed GSDs is analyzed with process kinetics. Simulation of dynamic development of GSD is achieved with application ...

We study a process where balls are repeatedly thrown into n boxes independently according to some probability distribution p. We start with n balls, and at each step all balls landing in the same box are fused into a single ball; the process terminates when there is only one ball left (coalescence). Let c := P j p 2 j , the collision probability of two fixed balls. We show that the expected coa...

The destabilization process of an emulsion under flow is investigated in a microfluidic device. The experimental approach enables us to generate a periodic train of droplet pairs, and thus to isolate and analyze the basic step of the destabilization, namely, the coalescence of two droplets which collide. We demonstrate a counterintuitive phenomenon: coalescence occurs during the separation phas...

Adsorption of asphaltenes at the water-oil interface contributes to the stability of petroleum emulsions by forming a networked film that can hinder drop-drop coalescence. The interfacial microstructure can either be liquid-like or solid-like, depending on (i) initial bulk concentration of asphaltenes, (ii) interfacial aging time, and (iii) solvent aromaticity. Two techniques--interfacial shear...